Breaking Down the New YouTube Partnership Program (Logan’s Fault?)

The tweets we’ve read from small creators make things loud and clear – you’re angry. It’s understandable anger as YouTube is stripping away monetization from many of your channels. The Partnership program has been open to all since mid-2012, and since then channels have been able to make money from their content. With that element going away, there’s a lot of confusion about what it means for you. Is this because of Logan Paul? Why does YouTube hate small creators? Will you ever get partnership? All are valid questions, but it’s important to know that it’s NOT all doom and gloom. If you’re passionate about being a YouTuber, this benefits you immensely. But, let’s go through these things one by one…

What are the new requirements for the YouTube Partnership Program (YPP)?

Under the new program terms, you need to have:

AT LEAST 1000 subscribers. You do not need to get 1000 in the last year, just need to have 1000 total.

AT LEAST 4000 hours of view time within the last 12 months. This works out to 20,000 minutes per month.

You’ll also need to meet other criteria that have existed forever including having an Adsense account and following the TOS.

This is all Logan Paul’s fault, right?

Indirectly, yes it is Logan Paul’s fault. But it’s also Pewdiepie, ISIS, and many other people’s fault. It’s resetting the clock back to before the partner program was open to everyone. But, we live in extreme times and the reality is YouTube needs to act boldly to placate advertisers and save its platform. While it’s counter-intuitive, backtracking the partner program addresses complaints advertisers have had. Logan Paul and Pewdiepie stories triggered media storms, but advertisers have had issues long before that. These just brought them into the public eye and encourages brands to pull their ads in light of the negative media attention.

So by acting extremely, they help to re-establish advertising on YouTube. What that means is that MORE money starts to flow into the platform and creators with monetization will start to make more money.

Can I still upload videos?

YES! From everything I’ve read, the only thing that’s changed is MONETIZATION. Otherwise, you can still upload videos, still choose your thumbnail, and still use the platform how you normally would. The only thing that’s changed is whether ads will run on your channel or not.

What is the incentive to create videos if I’m not being paid?

90% of YouTube channels impacted by this make less than $100 a year. That means the payment incentive wasn’t really a thing. To look at this further, all we need to do is look at the data. In the BEST case scenario – a channel with 3999.99 hours of view time, assuming 1-minute videos and having 999 subscribers… at current CPM rates, that means your channel would be earning just short of $300 per year. All it would require is ONE more view/subscriber and you crossover into eligibility for the YPP.

So, the incentive to create as a small creator is not the money, but rather the opportunity to create an audience who enjoy your content!

Will this change ever benefit me as a small creator?

In the short term, it sucks. There’s no denying that. It’s like being kicked out of the party that you were invited to. But this WILL benefit you if you are passionate about creating video content. For anyone who wants to build an audience, this change will make it EASIER for you to one day make YouTube your job! Here’s why:

By removing monetization from channels that don’t rely on this being their main source of income… it means that MORE money will go to creators that make this their job. So, once you get to the threshold of being eligible for the Partner Program, you will have lost out on (at most) $300. But, the change means that MORE advertisers will put ads on site. There will be LESS competition for monetized content meaning your CPM (Cost Per Thousand) rates will go UP. Meaning, that $300 you lost over a year, has a high likelihood of being made in a single MONTH under the new partner program.

Can I still make money as a YouTuber?

100% you can! I know several people that have YouTube channels that get almost NO views… but brands pay them occasionally to create videos where they get paid MUCH MORE than $300 (for a SINGLE video). It’s called a brand deal. Now, in fairness, these people often have a blog or Instagram account that is already popular. But the reality is their audience don’t always translate… so I’ve seen people get paid $500 to post a video that gets 100ish views. There’s also the possibility that you can also make money with affiliates (such as Amazon).

Is this THE END of YouTube?

Not by a long shot. Again, I FULLY understand your frustration (two of my channels are being demonetized)… but this won’t kill YouTube, or the kill all new creators. In fact, this presents new opportunities that will result in becoming a FULL-TIME YouTuber much faster than the current system. It sucks in the short term. It impacts a TON of creators… but I promise you, this short-term pain will be long-term MASSIVE game for anyone passionate about creating YouTube videos. Of all the things YouTube has done (and I’ve been extremely critical about), this decision makes a lot of sense to me – and one day, it will to you too!